Along a secluded stretch of Pierce Road, about a mile west of Sturgis-Maben Road in western Oktibbeha County, beer bottles, boxes and tires litter the tree line.
Broken televisions and appliances lay face-down, along with carpet, couches and chairs. Further back in the trees, the illegal dump site stretches roughly 60 feet down the side of a steep ravine. The entire area is infested with flies and mosquitoes.
The good news for county residents, however, is the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Oktibbeha County a solid waste assistance grant worth $10,496 to clean up unauthorized dump sites like the one on Pierce Road.
County employees and solid waste enforcement officer Tommy Smith typically clean up dump sites when they are found, County Administrator Don Posey said, but private contractors occasionally are needed to provide backhoes and hauling vehicles when large items need to be removed. The grant will help pay for those contractors and a portion of Smith”s salary, Posey said.
The difficulty with the Pierce Road dump site is the steepness of the ravine. A back hoes wouldn”t be able to traverse the terrain, Posey said.
“We can”t figure out how to clean it out,” he said.
Among the items frequently found at dump sites are used tires. County employees discovered approximately 300 tires at an illegal dump site on one occasion, Posey said.
Posey suspects tire shops are disposing of the used rubber at the illegal locations to avoid the cost charged by companies which dispose of them legally.
“We”ve been trying to catch them, but it”s hard to catch them in the act,” Posey said of the illegal dumpers. “Sometimes people will go dump stuff for several trips before you catch them.”
Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Marvell Howard said it”s difficult to estimate how many illegal dump sites are located in the county, but he estimated at least one is found in each of the five districts.
“I don”t think we have a major problem with illegal dump sites across the county, but I know we have some,” Howard said.
Posey said the county typically cleans up 10-12 illegal dump sites per year, and that”s not including the stray couch or appliance left on the side of the road.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.